Category Archives: News Update

Pediatric researchers suggest potential dangers for children from cellphone exposure

Doctors and scientists from Harvard and Yale medical schools warned Tuesday that pregnant mothers limit their unborn babies exposure to potentially harmful radiation by keeping cellphones away from their tummies because of the possible effect on brain development.

The doctors offered the advice during the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Baltimore U.S.A., where they also said parents should limit their children’s use of cellphones, iPads and other wireless technology because it can cause behavioral and concentration problems.

In one study, Dr. Hugh Taylor, chair of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, put cellphones on the top of cages containing pregnant mice. He then studied the behavior of the offspring and found that they had decreased memory and were hyperactive.

Dr. Martha Herbert, with Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, looked at the biological factors that can go wrong in autism and found a strong correction with the electromagnetic field of Wifi. The fields disturb calcium signaling in the brain, which is supposed to regulate the flow of information at the cell membrane going into the nucleus, she said in a phone interview after the her presentation. “It can make the brain get too excited and irritated,” Herbert said. “It is not inconceivable that it can cause (autism), but there are other factors that can play a role. It certainly can aggravate it.”

In other research, brain models and computer simulations show that children absorb 10 times more microwave radiation than adults because a child’s skull is thinner and smaller.

Want to Know Which US TV Network Provided the Most News Coverage about Wireless EMF/RF Radiation Issues in 2015?

Thanks again to the research of Joel M. Moskowitz PhD, Director and Principal Investigator, Center for Family and Community Health at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, we have the answer!

Since July, 2014, television stations in the U.S. were most likely to report news stories on cell phone radiation health risks (31 stories) including seven stories that focused on risks to children. The next most common stories either discussed radiation risks from cell antennas/towers (14 stories) or wireless Smart Meters (11 stories). Seven news stories addressed health risks from Wi-Fi exposure, and five stories focused on risks from wireless devices or wearables.

The winner again is CBS. Since July, 2014, CBS and its affiliates provided the most television news coverage about wireless radiation and health reporting on safety issues related to cell phones, cell towers, Wi-Fi, and smart meters. Besides CBS national news, almost all major CBS stations ran stories including stations in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Francisco, Spokane, and Washington, DC. CBS was the only TV network to cover the year’s two major wireless policy developments: the International EMF Scientist Appeal and the Berkeley cell phone “Right to Know” ordinance.

The above results are based upon Google searches for TV news stories about wireless radiation health risks where the video was posted online; thus, the actual amount of TV news coverage is underestimated.

According to Consumer Reports, most Americans fall squarely on the “don’t worry” side. In a recent nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1,000 adults, only 5 percent said they were very concerned about the radiation from cell phones, and less than half took steps to limit their exposure to it. Although in May 2015, a group of 190 independent scientists from 39 countries, who in total have written more than 2,000 papers on the topic, called on the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and national governments to develop stricter controls on cell-phone radiation. They point to growing research as well as the classification of cell-phone radiation as a possible carcinogen in 2011 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with part of the World Health Organization suggesting that the low levels of radiation from cell phones could have potentially cancer-causing effects.

“I think the overall evidence that wireless radiation might cause adverse health effects is now strong enough that it’s almost unjustifiable for government agencies and scientists not to be alerting the public to the potential hazards,” says David O. Carpenter, M.D., director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany in New York and one of the authors of the recent letter to the U.N. and WHO.

In addition, The city council of Berkeley, California acted in May 2015, as it approved a “Right to Know” law that requires electronics retailers to notify consumers about the proper handling of cell phones. The CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group, tried to block that law from going into effect, as it successfully did after San Francisco passed its own Right to Know law five years ago, but Federal District Court Judge Edward Chen gave the City of Berkeley a green light to implement the City’s landmark cell phone “Right To Know” law.

On Friday the 14th of August 2015, retired World Health Organization General-Director and Prime Minister of Norway, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland was interviewed by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

One of the issues raised in the interview was her current thoughts on wireless electromagnetic / radio frequency radiation. Her statement was very crystal clear, “Wireless Technology has Health Effects There is NO Doubt ” as she expanded on the topic.

Want to Know Which US TV Networks Provided the Most News Coverage about Wireless EMF/RF Radiation Issues in the Past Year?

The winner is CBS. During the past year, CBS and its affiliates provided the most television news coverage about wireless electromagnetic frequency / radio frequency radiation and health reporting on safety issues related to cell phones, cell towers, Wi-Fi, and smart meters. Besides CBS national news, almost all major CBS stations ran stories including stations in New York, Boston, Washington, DC; Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

News coverage on the other major networks paled in comparison. Leaving the question, are advertisers and the wireless industry influencing television news coverage of wireless EMF/RF Radiation safety issues?

Scientists call for Protection from Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Field Exposure.

The appeal states, “We are scientists engaged in the study of biological and health effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF). Based upon peer-reviewed, published research, we have serious concerns regarding the ubiquitous and increasing exposure to EMF generated by electric and wireless devices. These include–but are not limited to–radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitting devices, such as cellular and cordless phones and their base stations, Wi-Fi, broadcast antennas, smart meters, and baby monitors as well as electric devices and infra-structures used in the delivery of electricity that generate extremely-low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF EMF)”.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015, the Berkeley City Council adopted the cell phone “Right to Know” ordinance on a unanimous vote of 9-0. Berkeley is the first city in the nation to pass a cell phone Electromagnetic / Radio Frequency (EMF/RF) radiation ordinance since San Francisco disbanded its ordinance after a two-year court battle with the CTIA.

Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig helped draft the ordinance and presented it to the Council on behalf of city staff. After the vote he discusses in full detail the drafting of the ordinance on his blog site, noting that no doubt many of the people fighting for the ordinance have a firm belief that non-ionizing radiation presents a significant and under appreciated health risk.

The only opposition to the ordinance came from the CTIA–The Wireless Association. The CTIA claims that consumers would be scared if they were directed to read the information that the FCC requires they provide to consumers.

International Scientists Appeal to U.N. to Protect Humans and Wildlife from Electromagnetic / Radio Frequency Fields and Wireless Technology.

New York, NY, May 11, 2015. 190 scientists from 39 nations submitted an appeal to the United Nations, UN member states and the World Health Organization (WHO) requesting they adopt more protective exposure guidelines for electromagnetic fields (EMF) and wireless technology in the face of increasing evidence of risk. These exposures are a rapidly growing form of environmental pollution worldwide. The “International EMF Scientist Appeal” asks the Secretary General and UN affiliated bodies to encourage precautionary measures, to limit EMF exposures, and to educate the public about health risks, particularly to children and pregnant women.

Martin Blank, PhD of Columbia University representing 190 international scientists in the Appeal highlights the risks of electromagnetic fields emitted by telecommunications and utility technologies. Cautioning strongly, Dr. Blank says, “The time to deal with the harmful biological and health effects is long overdue. To protect our children, ourselves and our ecosystem, we must reduce exposure by establishing more protective guidelines.” Dr. Blank’s video is produced by ElectromagneticHealth.org on behalf of international scientists and the Appeal Committee.

Click the links below to read the full story and hear what 190 scientists have to say:

Are We Playing It Safe With Our Kids And Our Future???

Cindy Russell, MD is the VP for Community Health and chair of the Santa Clara County Medical Association Environmental Health Committee/SCCMA. Dr Russell writes about today’s increasing number of physicians, scientists, and parents that are concerned about long term health effects from WiFi and Cell Phones in schools. Her recent article highlights more of the concern and the physicians letter to the FCC for changes to be made immediately.

In a letter from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the FCC on August 29, 2013, “Current FCC standards do not account for the unique vulnerability and use patterns specific to pregnant women and children. It is essential that any new standard for cell phones or wireless devises be based on protecting the youngest and most vulnerable populations to ensure they are safeguarded throughout their lifetimes.”

Why is Health Canada not telling Canadians about the potential dangers of exposure to wireless EMF/RF radiation being emitted from these devices?

Would parents let their children sleep with cellphones under their pillows or allow wireless devices to be their constant companions if they knew it could increase risk of cancer? Would women tuck their cellphones in their bras if they knew that young women had developed breast cancers precisely where they had carried their phones? Would men, hoping to conceive healthy children, place laptops on their reproductive body parts if they knew of the science showing this type of exposure can cause sperm abnormalities?

Some countries have done more than just inform citizens of the increased risks of illness. In France, WiFi is banned from day care centers, and WiFi must be turned off when not in use in elementary schools. Taiwan has banned the use of electronic devices for children under two. Belgium made it illegal to market cellphones to children younger than seven years of age. Austrian physicians have guidelines to diagnose and treat patients reporting wireless radiation related health problems. While Health Canada procrastinates over issuing appropriate guidelines and recommending regulations based on the best available science, politicians in Ottawa are considering another approach.